We 9 members of the family took the package of Thomas Cook(Ref File No: TCSFM 24 JUN16 RAJEEV PAPREJA X 09) . Accordingly 9 of us departed from Delhi on 24.6.16, for our tour to Switzerland and Paris and arrived back at Delhi on 1st of July 2016.
Myself, my wife with our five years old grand-daughter took Europe package in June 2006 of Thomas Cook, and again myself, my wife, my daughter, my grand-daughter, my son-in-law and my son-in-law’s mother(total-6) took Turkey customized package in 2014 also from Thomas Cook. The experience of those two past tours was reasonably good.
An internationally famed organization like Thomas Cook cannot run without some intelligent and efficient officials. But, this time, in connection with our tour to Switzerland and France, we have come across some officials in the Thomas Cook whose dealings are far from satisfactory and these officials will no doubt damage the reputation of THOMAS COOK.
Out of 9 six of us had gone to Visa office at Delhi on 6th June, 2016. On reaching there, we were handed over our Passports and other documents by Thomas Cook representative, at the gate only, but he did not accompany us inside. We, however found, in inside the office of France VFS, representatives of some other tour operators were accompanying their clients in different counters and guiding them. We were astonished to see such non-cooperation from representatives of Thomas Cook.
After going through the Insurance papers, we found that the addresses mentioned were not at all as per our Passport documents. Moreover, the nominee’s names were also not mentioned in the Insurance papers. It may be mentioned here, that in all our previous abroad travels, organized by Thomas Cook, addresses on the Insurance papers have always been as per our passports and names of nominees duly filled in.
As there was none of Thomas Cook, inside with us, we tried to contact the official who mailed us the papers. But her phone was constantly engaged and we had to call 21 times from 3.10 p.m. to 3.23 p.m. and she could only be contacted on the 22nd call at 3.24 p.m. It was then mentioned by her, that, she had put our Group Leader’s address in all of the insurance papers. None of us named any person to her as group leader. This reply was only an excuse made by her. She also informed that the insurance papers were “dummy insurance papers”! The actual insurance policy papers would be sent later for our signature.
Further, when we checked the booking details of our tickets as handed over to us by Thomas Cook representative at the gate of France VFS, we found that our tickets were booked through Aeroflot, with a halt in Moscow. When we asked her the reason as to why we were to fly through Moscow, for our journey to Paris, instead of giving a modest and courteous reply she immediately shouted saying she would put down the phone. Thereafter she also said that these tickets were also not the real tickets. She said that she would give us that information only 7 days before departure.
The annoyance shown by the said official and her talking in an un-courteous manner was not expected from a senior and responsible employee of such an internationally acclaimed company like Thomas Cook. We also mailed a complaint against the said official on 7th June 2016.
REGARDING OUR TRAVEL INSURANCE:
By 15th of June, 2016 we made the final payments and we reminded the officials that they did not ask for the names of the nominees for the Insurance. On 16.6.16 we got a mail reply that “Same request has been sent to insurance team. Once it will be done we will update you”. We shared the nominee details in our mail dt 16th June 2016. But even up to 20th June, 2016 the nominees’ names were not correctly mentioned. In their mail dated 20.6.2016 instead of the names that we mailed to them on 16.6.16, it was simply mentioned that “nominees would be our legal HEIRS”. Thomas Cook officials had to be specifically mentioned by mail, as well as told telephonically, that since the legal Heirs would be also travelling with us, we cannot give their names as nominees. They were again reminded to put the names of nominees as per our mail dated 16.6.16. After prolonged persuasions, lastly just before one day of our departure, we received the corrected insurance documents from Thomas Cook.
REGARDING HOTELS & RESTAURANTS:
As Regards Our Stay in Hotel “IBIS Style” at Paris, we mailed a complain to Thomas Cook on 27.6.16 that, the we were not being treated satisfactorily by the said Hotel. We complained to the concerned Tour Manager, but he showed helplessness as the hotel was selected by the Headquarter. In breakfast there was no egg preparation in the Hotel Ibis Style at Paris. The worst part is that no one felt sorry for the same. The hotel does not have any facility of preparing tea or coffee in the room.
In Hotel Comfort at Dijon, there was no facility of preparing tea or coffee in room or in the lobby area. Also, there was no restaurant in the hotel. In short these two hotels were below the standard as per the printed itinerary of Thomas Cook.
Dinner served in Restaurant named Bangla in Dijon was of worst quality. Service was poor, preparation very unsatisfactory. We were shocked to see such a poor state of arrangement made by Thomas Cook.
Thomas Cook should seriously go through my complaint, and terminate the services of such officials who do not know the rules and cannot behave properly. I have not mentioned any individual’s name here. The names are available in our Emails made to them.
This Tour of Switzerland and Paris(France) of Thomas Cook was one of our worst experiences.
DIPAK MUKHOPADHYAY